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I blushed at his words, "He's not my beloved."

"Ah." Jasper seemed to sink further into the sofa. "Then there must be another Bella that he speaks so fondly of."

"He...he talks about me?"

Jasper grinned at me, my blush deepening. "He speaks of a brown-eyed angel that has seen him at every turn. He's watched her grow and he can't understand why she can see him." Jasper then frowned. "It's the same Bella that recently got me in trouble because she somehow managed to wander into his domain."

"You? Why would you get in trouble?"

Jasper's blue eyes glittered as he appraised me. "I am in charge of all Mortal sleep. It's a fairly straight forward job. Watch over dreams, influence a select few so that humans can have more insight into their day to day lives. Now, every so often, we have a lucid dreamer astral project themselves into our realm."

Seeing my confused look he hastily spoke. "Right now you are not here physically. Rather your spirit has taken charge and is copied here. If you don't return to your body, it can decay and cause weight on your soul."

I swallowed thickly, "That sounds painful."

"Extremely. You would feel your physical body rot and die."

A shrank away from his tone. Maybe it was time that I left. But what door did I come through originally? I probably should have marked it in the first place. I came out of a purple archway, I think?

Jasper chuckled lowly, unfolding himself so that his forearms rested on his knees. "Don't be scared. I'll take you back to your body when you're ready. Edward would lose his mind if I didn't."

"Edward?"

"Yes." Jasper looked puzzled. "I thought that's who we were talking about. You're his Bella, are you not?"

"No, I am." I corrected quickly, feeling the heat come to my cheeks again. "I just never knew his name."

Jasper was skeptical. "He never gave you his name?"

I shrugged, feeling a bit helpless. "He told me that he goes by different names. I knew that he was...Death."

"Ah." Jasper nodded, understanding. "Your time ran out."

"I guess so."

There was an uncomfortable silence between us, the only sound in the room was the crackling fire in front of us. I wanted to ask him every question that was bubbling around in my head, but I didn't know where to start, or if it was appropriate to ask.

"I can sense your questions."

I nodded slowly, trying not to have my face give everything away. "I have a few."

Jasper waited patiently, his expression pleasant to look at but giving nothing away. I could see the resemblance between him and...Edward. It felt strange to give him such a normal name when he was something to integral to our world. He was the balance that every human needed in our world. He was inevitable. Looking at Jasper, I began to realize that so was he. Sleep was something every living person had to do in order to remain sane, as well as healthy. It only made sense that they were brothers.

"You didn't fully answer my earlier question. Why did you get in trouble when I appeared the other night?"

Jasper scowled blackly. "Not letting it go, are we? Alright, then. I am the Guardian of Mortal Sleep. Each Mortal, for the most part, has very regular sleep cycles. I can influence their dreams in order to have them notice something about their every day lives, or have them avoid something by inserting a fearful dream. For the most part, the Mortals are the ones that create their own fears and fantasies. Every so often, we have a couple of Mortals who lucid dream and wander into our realm. It's my job to find them, convince them it's all just a dream and guide them back to their body. But you,"

Jasper sneered, wagging a finger at me. "You managed to slip by me. You entered our world and found his door. By the time I had found you, both of you were already talking which was so incredibly dangerous."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why is it dangerous? To talk to him I mean."

Jasper gasped out a laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Miss Bella, you are a Mortal. He is Death. If you spend time with him while he carries the title, you will die."

"And that's why he was angry with you?"

Jasper sat back, bewildered. "You don't understand how much he cares for you."

"He almost took my best friend the other day, so I don't see how that adds up." I sniffed.

Jasper froze at my words. "What do you mean 'almost'?"

"I told him to get away from her." I shrugged, not understanding his panic. A deeper part of me warned me that I was right.

"It's not Edward's decision to take lives, Miss Bella. He is under very strict orders. You may have induced some consequences of your own."

I sat up straight. "Who orders him?"

"Ah, I'm not liberty to say that. That is part of this realm's secret."

I sighed, slouching against the cushions. I twirled the bottom piece of my hair, processing everything Jasper had just told me. "Why can I see him?"

Jasper sighed, "We don't know. We have been trying to understand this since you first saw him."

"In the hospital," I confirmed with a nod.

"What is curious is that you can spot him in any form."

"Why does he have different forms?" I asked curiously. I liked this part of our conversation. Particularly because it felt like I was finally getting to know Death, I mean Edward. And I didn't have to endanger my life for it. Although, I wasn't sure if I would have minded. My mind wandered back to our meeting and his cold touch to my cheek. I shivered, forcing myself back to the present

Jasper shrugged. "Everybody has a different perception of what Death is and what he looks like. It's often easier when they see what they expect in their final moments."

I thought back to the skeleton with the straw hat. "What is his true form?"

Jasper grinned, "That's not my secret to tell."

"Oh come on."

"Nope."

Begrudgingly I let that one slide. I turned my attention to this new realm. "So, for lack of a better word, are you a god?"

Jasper barked out a laugh. "I haven't been called that in a long time."

"What are you called?"

Blowing out a gust of air, he counted them off. "The Sandman, Hypnos, Artume, Somnus, Ratri, and- my personal favorite- the archangel Raphael."

"The healing angel?"

"Ah, so you're Catholic."

I shook my head. "My mom dabbled in a little bit of everything. I just liked all of the stories. We can talk Greek gods if you want."

Jasper grinned. "I see why Edward likes you. You have guts."

I blushed. Jasper looked outside the beautiful window for a moment, standing. "We have to get going."

"Already?" My heart was heavy that our time was cut short. I wanted to learn more. More importantly, I hadn't asked my questions about Edward.

Jasper chuckled. "Your alarm is about to go off. We should get you back to your life."

"Ughhhh I guessss."

Jasper tilted his head back and let out a hearty laugh, holding the yellow door open for me. I followed him into the rotunda, hurrying to keep up with his long legs. I followed him in front of a blue archway with a star above it. He waited patiently for me to arrive. I watched as the star emanated a soft golden glow, the staircase appearing behind the archway. Jasper gave me a smile, extending his arm out to the archway.

"This is where we part, Miss Bella."

I bit my lip, looking at my way back. "Will I see you again, Jasper."

He let out a laugh. "Not if I can help it. It would help you to know that Edward and I are some of the more friendly guardians. Plus, Edward might kill me and bring me back to existence knowing that I haven't been keeping you asleep and out of trouble."

I gaped at him. "So it WAS you that was keeping me asleep!"

He chuckled, "Goodbye Miss Bella."

In the blink of an eye, he evaporated from my sight, leaving me alone in the rotunda. I shivered, feeling as if someone was watching me. I stepped through the archway and back into my bedroom just as my alarm went off.

English had just finished when Ms. Cottier stopped me. "Ah, Bella. You're needed in the front office."

"Ooooh, Bella, you're in trouble," Angela whined.

I swatted her away with a smile. "Did they say why?" I asked Ms. Cottier.

She shook her head as she sat down to get her lunch out of her bag.

Angela pulled her hair into a bun that sat perfectly on top of her head. "So what do you think of tomorrow's game? Do you think Evanston stands a chance?"

I shrugged, adjusting my backpack on my shoulder. "Evanston doesn't have a bad record. Plus their point guard is one of the best in the state, so we can't go in too cocky."

"Confidence is key."

I shot her a grin. "I didn't say we couldn't be confident."

She gave me a quick salute as we got to the office. "I'll visit you if you get expelled."

"Hardy har har." I rolled my eyes, pulling the office door open.

As I walked in, I saw Charlie in the office, reading a leaflet that they had out there. "Dad?"

He cleared his throat, putting the leaflet down. "Hey Bells."

After an awkward beat, "What are you doing here?"

"Right. Well, do you have any important exams today?"

I shook my head. "I have a basketball game tomorrow night, but other than that nothing for the week. Why?"

"I was thinking we visit Renee today. It's been a while since you've seen her and I was thinking that we take the day and all go to the beach. Get some salty air, what do you think?"

The entire time Charlie was talking, my mouth curled up into a huge smile. I lunged forward and wrapped my arm around his waist, ignoring his grunt. "I think that's the best idea ever."

He chuckled, "That's good, I've already checked you out of school. Let's go get Renee."

I practically skipped down the sidewalk to the cruiser. I had figured out how to lucid dream, I was starting to figure out Edward and I was going to see my mom while skipping school. This had to be the best day ever.